On Friday March 22, the Portal Panthers' soccer program acknowledged 5 seniors for their hard work over their high school careers. The Portal women's soccer team defeated Montgomery County Lady Eagles 5-2. The men's soccer team fell short in the nightcap versus Montgomery County with a final score of 2-1.
Bad Weather Can't Stop Lady Panthers
Fans were advised to bring their ponchos to the second matchup between Portal and Montgomery County. The Lady Panthers were able to defeat their opponents and heavy rain on Friday evening. A big second half from Portal allowed them take home their 9th straight victory.
After going into the half tied at 1 a piece, Portal's Colby Stewart raced down the field and took the lead for her team midway through the period. Montgomery County responded almost immediately when Citlali Hernandez-Gonzalez scored a long goal to tie the game.
Portal would score the final 3 goals in the game to break away late. Colby Stewart scored her second goal in the half to give the lady Panthers a 3-2 lead. Maggie Brannen and Gina Hogan followed up with goals of their own.
This win improves the Panthers record to 9-0-1 on the season with 5 games remaining on the schedule. They have swept the season series against Montgomery County.
Men Fall Against Eagles
The rain had pretty much come and gone when the second game of the doubleheader had started. Despite not having to deal with bad conditions, the Panthers were not able to come away with the victory.
Friday's game was an absolute thriller that required extra time to decide a winner. Portal fans were treated to a great game, but the Panthers lost the match 2-1.
Going into the half down 1-0, Portal had to make up some ground. The offense struggled for majority of the second half. The Panthers could not find a way to tie the game up. With roughly 17 minutes left in regulation, Portal senior Reshaun Jones delivered a timely pass to Nehemiah Lovett who scored the goal to tie the game.
The two teams would continue to battle for the rest of regulation. The game would then transition into a shootout where each team sent players to attempt a penalty kick to decide a winner. Players from both teams stepped up and continued to score goals to keep their hopes alive. The shootout went into sudden death with Montgomery County having a shot to win the game.
Montgomery County's Mario Ortega shot the ball right past the Portal goalkeeper to win the game for his team.
With this loss, Portal falls to a 6-3 record on the season with a 4-3 record in region play. Montgomery County improves their record to 4-6 on the season.
UP NEXT:
The Portal women's soccer team is back in action on Tuesday, March 26. They will host Johnson County at 5:00 p.m.
The Portal men's soccer team will not return to play until Portal's doubleheader at Bulloch Academy on Thursday, March 28. The girl's game will start at 5:00 p.m. and the men will start shortly after its conclusion.
